1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for modulating the diffuser vane of a compressor diffuser, and, more particularly, to a mechanism that modulates the disposition of diffuser vanes in a compressor diffuser by means of radial power transmission.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to suppress a compressor surge and to expand operating ranges of low negative loads, diffuser vanes have been brought into the design mainstream to dynamically alter the flow direction of the flow path in a compressor diffuser. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,197 disclosed a technique of disposing diffuser vanes in a compressor, in which the actuator transmits the power through a plurality of connectors, including rolling balls, connecting poles, cams and driving rings, to diffuser vanes, in order to modulate disposal angles thereof in the flow path of the compressor diffuser, which in turn dynamically changes the direction of flowing liquids in the flow path of the compressor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,159 disclosed a technique of transmitting power of the actuator by using gears of sliding blocks to change the flow direction in the flow path of a compressor. However, there still exist several disadvantages in the foregoing approaches including space-consuming, complex assembly and burdensome maintenance. Besides the drawbacks of having complex structures, both the foregoing applications adopt transmitting power of the actuator along the compressor axle, which requires actuators to be disposed in the compressor. In so doing, not only it requires the design and reservation of a relatively larger space for accommodating the actuator in the compressor, but also a string of steps would be necessary for assembling the compressor and connecting the actuator to diffuser vanes, which then again ensue complicated manual works for the dysfunctional or damaged actuator when in need of maintenance or repair afterward. Moreover, in light of the foregoing drawbacks, users are unable to apply such techniques to high-efficiency and more compact compressors.
It is thus desirable and highly beneficial to develop a novel mechanism for modulating the diffuser vane of a compressor diffuser capable of addressing the foregoing issues.